CDC reports that the number of reported victims is now up to 574 with about 8 new cases each week – more than one a day. Using CDC’s estimated rate of under-reporting, the actual number of people sickened may be closer to 17,000. Nearly 40 percent of those infected have been hospitalized.

Here’s the kicker: CDC reports that nearly two-thirds of the Salmonella sampled from afflicted patients tested resistant to one or more antibiotics that are important for human medicine. The agency notes that these are typically not the antibiotics used to treat severe Salmonella infections, but cautions that “antibiotic resistance can be associated with increased risk of hospitalization in infected individuals.” Spreading antibiotic resistant bacteria through the food chain can also contribute to the larger problem of antibiotic resistance.

CDC and World Health Organization have flagged antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest health threats of our time. Let’s tell Foster Farms to be a leader to protect these important medicines – and stop spreading antibiotic resistant Salmonella. Please consider tweeting your request to @fosterfarms and @NRDCFood. Or try #FosterHarms.

Here’s a recent infographic summarizing the situation (yes, NRDC officially gives you permission to share, link or re-post as you like. Click on it for a larger version).

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Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.